Bear vs. Cougar

From "The Bear" (1988)

The other day at school, a co-worker sent out this video to show to our students. I ended up showing it to every student I had that day on the grounds that it is AWESOME! Exciting, educational, and really well made. If you have a minute, check it out. You will not be disappointed.

Nor'easter on the Mountain!

This Just In.... 60 mph winds - Sir Evan Blown Off the Mountain!

Hyperbole is my claim to fame. Okay, so I wasn't blown off the mountain, but boy was the wind strong up there! My Dad and I didn't make it too far up Mount Rogers, but we did explore Massie's Gap, where this video takes place. Check it out!

There's a lot more to come, but since I don't have the time to write up a full article just yet, here are a few more photos from our adventure.

(Dad taking photos in the Virginia Highlands:
Note the mist creeping over the mountain...)

(The Aviators are no more *deep sigh* ~ Suppose these "Mountain Shades" will have to do...)

(Who wouldn't want a log cabin on the side of a mountain?!)

Book Review: Last Child in the Woods

"Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder"

Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
Copyright 2005, 2008
316 pages

In his highly esteemed discourse on "nature deficit disorder," a term of his own invention, Richard Louv inspires a national movement. His thesis is straightforward: today's generation is nature starved, dependent on technology and driven behind closed doors, which has and will continue to cause great challenges for America and the whole world. Louv writes:

...Healing the broken bond between our young and nature [is] in our self-interest, not only because aesthetics or justice demands it, but also because our mental, physical, and spiritual health depends upon it. The health of the earth is at stake as well. How the young respond to nature, and how they raise their own children, will shape the configurations and conditions of our cities, homes - our daily lives. (3)

Louv brings light to a serious issue that has been slowly brewing for several decades, exploding in most recent years with the increasing popularity of computers, cell phones, and iPods. Children are spending less time outside and more time glued to televisions and video games. In fact, many children seem entirely unaware of the wonders surrounding them. The outdoors is a scary place where unpredictable things happen, and children are encouraged to stay away. Louv expands on this premise in his book, discussing the 'fear element,' that plagues many parents who mean best for their children but limit their full potential for growth.

At times it seems like an uphill battle. Louv reveals this staggering statistic:

...The Charlotte, North Carolina, region lost 20 percent of its forest cover over the past two decades; between 1982 and 2002, the state lost farmland and forests at the rate of 383 acres a day. The U.S. Department of Agriculture projects forests declining from 767,000 acres in 1982 to 377,000 in 2022. Amazingly, developed land in North Carolina increased at a rate twice that of the state's population growth. (30)

Where, then, are children supposed to play in the outdoors? How can young peoples' senses develop if they are not in tune with the outdoor world? A direct consequence of nature's absence is the stunted growth of the visual and auditory senses. Physical and emotional health are also directly influenced by positive nature experiences. Louv writes, "...New studies suggest that exposure to nature may reduce the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and that it can improve all children's cognitive abilities and resistance to negative stresses and depression" (35). With more antidepressants being prescribed to young people every day, this statement couldn't be more important. Ultimately, Louv claims the costs of Nature Deficit Disorder are severe: "diminished use of the senses, attention difficulties, and higher rates of physical and emotional illnesses" (36).

At 316 pages, "Last Child in the Woods" is a long book, but an engaging piece of work that has inspired national change, an entire movement to reclaim the outdoors for the American child. At book's end, Louv offers guidance to parents and educators, providing lists with creative ideas to engage children with nature. Many schools across the country are now incorporating Louv's ideas into their curriculum, developing "outdoor programs" and implementing outdoor classes. For example, Forsyth Country Day School in Lewisville, NC, has designed its own "Green Initiative" and offers a corresponding elective class for high school students in response to the nature movement.

For his work, Richard Louv was awarded the 2008 Audubon Medal. In the same year, he updated his book with new facts, educator guides, and a reassessment of the state of Nature Deficit Disorder in America.

Behold the Grandeur of the World

God's Grandeur

THE WORLD is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;					5
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.
And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;					10
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

~ Gerard Manley Hopkins

Behold the Mighty Mountains!



And the Vast Oceans!



We live in a world that was purposefully created by a God with power beyond our comprehension. He did it for His own glory and for our deep enjoyment. He formed the mountains and filled the oceans. He angers the volcanoes, gives speed to the wind, and unleashes the floodgates of Heaven to water the earth. The boundless mysteries of the world are a powerful reflection of His majesty and character. This planet is full of wonders. Every day we must try to find the glory in Creation. While we may not live among the mightiest mountains or the widest oceans, Creation surrounds us, and God is in it.

"For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."

~ Romans 1:20

Photo of the Week # 9

Neighborhood Delinquent? I think NOT!

Not something you see every day... A young raccoon spotted in Midlothian, VA... just chillin' out in the backyard. Not a care in the world.


Say what you will about them, but this one looks like he just needs a friend...

Thanks to Tray for the awesome photo!

Photo Credit: Tray Murphy

The Linville Gorge: North Carolina's Wilderness Frontier

March, 2009 ~ North Carolina

Kenny and I are in the Linville Gorge Wilderness, lumbering up the Little Table Rock Trail, and let me tell you: it's a doozy.

We have come to this pristine wilderness for an overnight backpacking venture across exposed ridges, rocky slopes, and precarious outcroppings; it is among North Carolina's greatest frontiers. Our journey begins near the base of Hawksbill Mountain. We heft our backpacks and embark down the Spence Ridge Trail. The Linville Gorge Wilderness, west of Morganton, NC, is host to numerous trails, offering plenty of opportunities for day hikes and multi-day backpacking endeavors. But, being a wilderness area, the trails are unmarked, so a map and a plan of attack are essential. Kenny and I take a left onto the Little Table Rock Trail. It is early on, and we feel fresh. We have no idea how steep it will soon become.

A mile later, we stagger onto the first rock outcropping, where we are presented with an impressive view of the gorge. The Linville River snakes through the basin below and is surrounded by steep, rock walls. We have an obscured vantage on Table Rock Mountain, our destination. After a bite to eat, we carry on and quickly intersect the Mountains to Sea Trail, which takes us to the Table Rock spur.

The steepness increases. We push on, feeling the burn in our hamstring and calf muscles. It seems the higher we climb, the heavier our packs weigh. Gravity tries its hardest to pull us down. But, at the same time, the mountain emboldens us. It beckons to be explored. It lures us with its solid presence. This mountain is powerful.

As we reach the top of Table Rock Mountain and see the magnificent Linville Gorge in its entirety, our exhaustion and frustration vanish. This view was worth it. In the distance, we see Lake James, where they filmed some pivotal scenes for the film, "The Last of the Mohicans." On a sunny day, it would surely shimmer, but today the skies are overcast. The anticipation of rain has hung over us since we began our trek, but it looks as if the hazy clouds on the horizon are going to miss us. We are deeply thankful.

We explore the summit of Table Rock, recognize another spot from Michael Mann's frontier epic, and shoulder our packs for the return journey. What we just came up, we must now go down. While going downhill is easier on one's respiratory system, it is far more strenuous on one's knee joints. As we descend the mountain, I feel a burning sensation in my knees, a nuisance I have had to deal with since my hiking injury in '07.

Eventually, we reconnect with the Spence Ridge Trail and turn left towards the Linville River. A mile later, we arrive at the bottom of the gorge. The water is deep, and class III rapids rage up river; water gushes over rocks, and strong currents sweep underneath the two wooden bridges that cross the river. They are narrow and single-railed, so Kenny and I maneuver over them carefully.

As we enjoy the lively sounds of the water, we are greeted by several college students, whom we first encountered on Table Rock. The leader of their pack carries an empty liquor bottle, and - words slightly slurred - tries his darndest to convince us to sleep in "that sweet cave over there!" He points downriver, and we kind of nod, giving them something to get excited about, and they go on their merry way. Kenny and I quickly decide against sleeping in the "death cave," as neither of us are keen on being eaten by a bear or drowned in a flash flood.

Later, we hike a quarter mile back up the trail, till we find a suitable campsite by a babbling brook. There, we take a load off and reflect on our exciting day. Kenny soaks his feet in the cold stream, and I snap some shots of the water cascading over mossy stones. Building a fire proves challenging, since most of the wood is damp, but we manage, somehow, to get a fine flame going, and we pass the evening in its warm glow.

We wake up the next morning at 5 am; Kenny has an engagement to attend in Greensboro at 10 o'clock. So we hike the last mile of our journey in the dark, led by the LED beam of my headlight. For Kenny, this is a trip of firsts - his first backpacking adventure, his first taste of "backpacking food," which is always delicious when you're starving, and his first hike in the dark. By its indiglo light, my watch reads 7 am when we reach the car. As we load our packs and prepare for the return voyage, we thank God for his grace upon us. We are tired, but energized. Dry and joyful. We have been to and from the mountains, and we will surely return, because we were made for the wild. But for now, it is time to go home.